Framingham firefighter, once honored, now accused of robbing bank

FRAMINGHAM, Mass. — Framingham firefighter Michael Espinosa has gone from being honored at the state house for rescuing a person trapped in a submerged car, to being arrested for allegedly robbing a bank.

It would be quite the fall for the 34-year-old after police say he told the teller of a grocery store bank he had a gun and forced her to fill a paper bag with cash.

Police say it happened at the Citizen’s Bank inside the Stop and Shop off Route 9 in Natick.

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“There’s so many witnesses, there’s so many people,” said Natick Police Lt. Cara Rossi.

Wearing a scally cap and sunglasses, the police report says, Espinosa told the teller: “no dye packs, I have a gun, give me large money bills.”

“He said that he did have a weapon, but no weapon was ever shown,” said Rossi.

According to the police report, after Espinosa got the cash, he left the store, walked across the parking lot, got into a grey SUV and drove off. But it was only a matter of time before someone saw his surveillance picture on social media posted by Natick police.

“Someone recognized this photo immediately, called someone they knew, the information got back to the police departments and within ten hours, to have a bank robbery suspect in custody is really unheard of,” said Lt. Cara Rossi.

Within those ten hours, according to the report, Espinosa spent the one thousand dollars he got away with. When questioned by investigators, the report claims Espinosa admitted to the crime in a written confession.

However, in court Friday, Espinosa’s attorney entered a not guilty plea on his behalf.

Boston 25 News made calls to the Framingham Fire Chief, but the department is not commenting due to the criminal investigation.

“I hope it doesn’t tarnish anyone’s opinion of the Framingham Fire Department because that is a great agency with fantastic firefighters. To me, it’s just sad,” said Rossi.

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